Ugly
by touchdownprincess
Summary: Ash accidentally, while half alseep, insults Misty and takes it a step too far. Upon trying to explain to her he didn't actually mean it, a sudden realisation hits him.


Hi! So, exams are in like, a week and I'm really nervous. To cool off some steam, and to (hopefully) counter a bit of writers block I have encountered on the latest chapter of _Kanto: Redux, _I decided to write a fluffy one shot thingy. Basically, its another one of those Ash and Misty fight then profess their love for one another fics. However, I decided to make it a bit...different. Well, I hope. Instead of them screaming and storming off on one another, I made it a little calmer between the two. I hope you guys like it.

There's a litte bit of swearing, nothing major or frequent, and slight descriptive kissing, so I decided to rate it T, just in case. Anyways, enjoy :)

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Pokemon, Nintendo does. I can only wish I owned Pokemon, and that they were real.

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"You are _such_ a bastard."

Here we go. Here come the insults. I'm a bastard, I'm a prick, and I'm an ass. Occasionally, if I really make her mad, she'll shoot of a string of four letter obscenities at me. Today was only a minor offense compared to former incidents, such as the time I accidentally whacked her across the face when I was stretching. That didn't go down too well. I called her an ugly scrawny loudmouth runt this morning because she woke me up yelling at Psyduck. It was no different to the abuse we hurled at each other on a regular basis. Well, except for one thing.

I had called her ugly.

I didn't _mean_ to. It slipped; I was half asleep and cranky. We've called each other names since we were ten, you would think that she'd be used to it by now. Oh, no. Her face had crumpled, she bowed her head and I think she might have cried a little, I'm not exactly sure. She sure stormed off though and I didn't see her for about three hours.

The thing is she's not ugly. She's far from it. Sure, when we were kids I never took notice of her but then again, I was and still am one of the most oblivious people in existence so that doesn't even count. Plus back then I didn't even know what hormones were. We separated at fifteen, when she was still a good four inches taller than I am and had about three times the muscle I did. Three years on, and I've overtaken her in height by about two inches and, I am proud to say, have filled out quite nicely – although she probably still had three times as much muscle as I do. I'm no Machoke, but I have spent the, ahh, odd occasion posing in front of the mirror. Oh, and my hair looks awesome, it's all long and messy and the best thing is, I don't even have to do anything to it, it just...sits there.

Misty's changed too though. Like I said, she's not ugly. She's actually very pretty...oh fine, I'm not going to hold back, she is an absolute babe. I'm not even kidding. That stubby ponytail with the tuft of hair? Yeah, it's gone and her hair is down and sits around her face, and somehow it makes her look totally different. Older, maybe? I don't know what, but _something else _changed in those three years, and her shorts fit that little bit tighter around her hips, and her tops are just that little bit tighter around her chest. I tell ya, it's scary what happened to her.

So here I am, practically begging for her forgiveness because I probably shouldn't have called her ugly. I sit at her feet while she's on the couch and I feel like an absolute tool.

"I didn't mean to," I say, looking up at her with my best Growlithe-puppy eyes. Normally she laughs when I make them, and tells me I'm an idiot. They're not working this time, she's still staring straight ahead, and from what I can see I'm right about her crying. Her eyes are all puffy and red and that black gunk she puts on her eyelashes is streaked down her face. I think she's trying to ignore me.

I feel terrible.

"Come on Misty, we insult each other all the time. Remember the time you called me a 'wanna-be Pokémon master', and that I'd never actually get anywhere in life because I was too stupid?"

"Yes, but I didn't actually insult how you looked."

The girl has a point. I sigh and climb onto the couch next to her. Time to turn on 'empathetic Ash'. A great Gym Leader once told me I needed empathy with my Pokémon. I'd hardly consider Misty a Pokémon, though at times she had the temper of a raging Gyarados. Perhaps I can try this empathy thing with her. I put my arm around her shoulders and give her a squeeze. Strange. I haven't actually done this before to her. When she's upset I just let her cool off. That normally works, 'cause she goes off somewhere for hours on end and comes back a new person. I don't know if this affectionate thing I'm doing I'm doing is going to work, but I like the way it feels all the same.

"Mist, you know I don't think you're ugly at all." I tell her. She takes the time to look at me, and blinks her big blue eyes.

"No I don't know," she says, "You've never told me that I'm pretty. What else am I supposed to think?"

Oh, crud. I think she's right. I've known this girl for eight years. The first time I saw her, I thought she was a boy. That was because she had really short hair and wore baggy shorts and a baggy top. Plus, I was trying to escape from a flock of angry Spearow. Can you blame me?

That changed though, and the first time I noticed Misty as a girl, and not as _just Misty_ was at the festival, at Maiden's Peak. She wore this really nice pink kimono and had her hair down, and she asked me to dance. I remember thinking, wow, Misty _is_ a girl!

It really sunk in when I saw her a year after we separated. We were both sixteen, and in that space of a year, she'd gotten rid of the baggy clothes and started to wear tighter tops and shorts. That was when I noticed features on Misty that I wouldn't have even thought she had, because I'd come to think of Misty as just another part of the group.

And she wasn't always mad at me either, unlike when we were kids. Sure, there were times where she got _really _angry and threw things at me, usually Brock's cooking stuff, but for the most part she was really calm and..._fun._ Like, for example, once Brock went off to the pub, basically because he could, and left us two to fend for ourselves. So, to get revenge on him, partially because were bored and partially because _we_ wanted to be old enough to go to pubs, Misty put Pokémon food in his shoes and hid his underwear from him. I was really annoyed at the time because I didn't think of it first.

I rack my brain for something smart to say back to her, to make her feel like I really believed she was pretty, and was too lazy to ever tell her.

"It doesn't mean I think you're ugly," I begin slowly. I should make her feel like I'm focusing my attention on her. I remove my arm from around her shoulders and hold one of my hands in hers. Wow. They're really soft, and I think she likes it, because she hasn't jerked her hand away from mine. "In fact...I think you're far from it."

She starts to sob now, her shoulders heaving, rising and falling with every breath. I don't know what I have done wrong! I told her she wasn't ugly and even hinted at the fact I thought she was attractive.

So why is she crying?

"Uhh..." I try to find the right words that will make her stop. "See, Mist, when I said what I said this morning, I wasn't thinking straight. I was still asleep practically. And I didn't mean it, honest. Because, well, I've gotta tell you straight up, I think you're like a Feebas."

She starts to wail, a loud siren-esque sound that pierces my ears, and I have to yell to be heard over her.

"See, when we first met, you _were_ this scrawny little redhead girl who acted like a boy! You fished, and whooped my ass in burping competitions. But when you went away, I didn't get to see you transform into a Milotic. And when I saw you next, you...I thought you were beautiful."

Oh Mew, I can't believe I'm telling her this. It's slipping out, like word vomit and I just can't shut up.

"Well, alright, beautiful isn't the word. I thought you were so hot, coz you'd gotten really pretty and your body does this thing where your waist is skinner but your hips get bigger, and there's just something about it that I'm really attracted to. Plus, you got boobs, when you didn't have the before."

Her aqua eyes grow big, and she tugs her hand out of mine and slaps me across the cheek with it.

"You perv!" she yells at me. "I can't believe you just told me that! I'd rather be ugly!"

"Listen!" I press on, even though my cheek is stinging as if a Tentacool had just prodded me with one of its venomous tentacles. "I looked past all that stuff when you started acting differently to me. You were nicer, a lot more often than not. Even though you were mean to me still, it wasn't all the time and the bruises went away pretty quickly. And Mist, when you became nicer to me, something clicked."

She stares at me, her eyes still wide, but the crying has stopped. Her facial expression is one of almost disbelief. I don't think I can believe what I'm saying to her either. Sitting here though, watching Misty cry because of an insult triggers something deep inside me that I can't explain. What I do know is, I just want to take her in my arms and hold her until she feels better, until all the hurt I've caused her goes away.

Ash, that was possibly the cheesiest thing you've ever said! Since when did you want to 'take someone in your arms'? It's almost like I lo-

Oh, Mew.

It's only now, as I stare into her eyes it finally all falls into place.

I do love her.

I _love _this girl.

"It's something really new to me, and I don't think I've ever really felt like this before," I find that my hands are shaking slightly, and I thank Lugia she's yanked her hand away. I keep the eye contact with her. She stares back at me, her eyes curious, inviting and somehow giving me the courage to continue. "But Misty, I need you to know, I really do think you're beautiful. No - I _know_ you are. Not just on the outside either." I gulp, and make a really bold move, never once breaking the eye contact. I reach over and press my palm against her chest. I half expect her to slap me again, or beat me to a bloody pulp.

But she doesn't. She keeps the eye contact, albeit her breathing is slightly faster and heavier.

"You're beautiful in here too. And that's why..."

Just say it Ketchum. You've gone this far. No turning back now.

"That's why, I think I love you."

Now, I know what I have to do, and not just because I've seen it in all the movies. I cup her face in my hands, lean forward and press my lips to hers.

I've never kissed anyone before. Yeah, yeah, eighteen years old and never been kissed. Can you blame me, I was trying to train my Pokémon and kissing wasn't exactly on my mind.

I'm not sure of what to do. Brock was telling me about it one time, when I was fourteen, but I don't really remember. Like, I know what you're supposed to do when you kiss someone, but actually doing it is a different story. I press my lips to hers a little harder, and I think its working because she presses back just as hard, and wraps her arms around my neck. She shuffles onto my lap and I take it as a sign she likes it. I, somehow on instinct, slide my tongue into her mouth and run my tongue over hers. She does it back to me, and we continue like this for a while, turning our heads this way and that, occasionally bumping noses or tilting our heads the same way. It feels amazing.

After a few minutes though, I can't breathe anymore and pull away.

For a moment, only our breathing fills the air as we stare at each other, mostly in shock. There's still time for her to slap me, and knowing my luck she'll do it right now.

She doesn't. She smiles at me instead.

"So...you really mean that?" she asks softly.

I nod vigorously. "Of course! I never for one minute seriously thought you were ug-"

"No," she interrupts. "You mean...you love me?"

I smile back at her.

"Yeah," I say. I take her hands and look into those big, aqua eyes once again. "I think I do, beautiful."

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Let me know what you guys think :D


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